Stampfl’s Cycle Not Enough as Baseball Falls to LBSU, 8-4

Long Beach, Calif. – Despite an incredible day by Fordham senior shortstop Luke Stampfl, which saw him collect a career-high five hits and hit for the cycle, the Rams could not get by 21^st-ranked Long Beach State, falling by a score of 8-4 at Blair Field.
 
With the loss, Fordham falls to 1-4 on the year, while LBSU improved to 3-3.
 
The historic day for Stampfl started in the first inning, as he put Fordham on top 1-0 with an RBI-triple to left, scoring Brian Goulard, who reached on a double.
 
The Dirtbags tied the game at one on an RBI-single by Brock Lundquist in the bottom of the frame and then grabbed a 2-1 lead in the second on a sacrifice fly by Jarren Duran.
 
Fordham knotted the game at two in the third inning, as Goulard and Stampfl were at it again.  Goulard singled to center with one out and moved to third on a double by Stampfl.  Justin Bardwell then plated Goulard with a sacrifice fly to left to tie the game.
 
The score remained tied until the fifth, when the Rams regained the lead at 4-2.  Stampfl put Fordham back on top with a solo home run to left, his first of the season, which was later followed by an RBI-single by Matthew

Kozuch, which scored Bardwell, who walked and moved to second on a ground out.
 
The lead was shortlived as the Dirtbags scored once in the fifth and three times in the sixth to go ahead by a 6-4 count.  The three-run sixth inning was highlighted by a solo home run by Lucas Tancas and an RBI-double by Luke Rasmussen.
 
Long Beach pitching would hold the Rams off the scoreboard in the seventh by could not stop Stampfl as he completed the cycle with a leadoff single and added a stolen base in the frame.
 
LBSU added to the lead in the eighth with a pair of runs on a two-run double by Rasmussen for the final runs of the game.
 
Fordham did have a chance to score in the ninth, as Goulard and Stampfl led off the frame with back-to-back singles, however Chris Rivera came on and retired the next three batters in order for the save.
 
For Fordham, Stampfl was the story posting a career-best 5-for-5 performance and hitting for the cycle.  It was the first five-hit game for the Rams since Bardwell did so in April of last season.  Stampfl joins a select company to have hit for the cycle, joining the likes of Frankie Frisch, who hit for the cycle against Villanova on June 7, 1919.
 
Goulard also had a solid afternoon, going 3-for-5 with a double and two runs scored, while Jason Lundy added three hits.  Reiss Knehr (1-1) took the loss, allowing five earned runs on four hits in 5.2 innings of work.
 
The two teams will wrap up their series on Sunday with a 4:00 PM ET game.